One week! I have one week until I leave for Denmark, which I am sure will be one of the most memorable experiences of my college career. Maybe I have some pretty high hopes for what this next semester will hold, but I truly believe it will be unlike anything that I have known before. Denmark holds a very special place in my heart, as it is my second place of citizenship, the place where so many of my loved ones reside, and the place from which my dad immigrated to start a new life.
Okay, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start with a quick introduction:
- My name is Emma Hansen and I am nineteen years old.
- I am from Nevada, but currently go to school at Seattle University (go Redhawks!).
- I am a citizen in both the United States and Denmark.
- I have been to 16 countries (including Denmark) and will consider myself “successful” once I have seen the rest of the world.
I decided to start this blog so people back at home can be kept updated on my life in Denmark and so it can serve as something that I can look back on to remember this upcoming semester. I have no idea where it will take us, but I look forward to finding out.
While in Denmark, I will be attending the Danish Institute for Study, studying Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism from a European Perspective, along with some…lighter topics including Urban Ecology and New Nordic Design. I am sure that these classes will play a pretty large role in this blog, along with the differences between the Danish teaching style and the style that I am used to back home. Although it is an American institute, DIS is a school in which all of the professors are Danish, so there will definitely be an adjustment period for me when it comes to learning.
As a Political Science major at Seattle University, I am excited to gain new perspectives and no, not just from other professors, but also from other countries. In this field, having a sense of what life looks like outside of America is invaluable, and this experience will help to bolster my knowledge in this area.
Along with all of this excitement, of course, there are plenty of uncertainties that I will be dealing with. Whether it is navigating the public transit or not speaking the native language, it does feel a little scary to be leaving the United States for so long. Luckily, because I want to go and have already signed up for classes, there is no choice but to get on the plane in a week and leave what I know far behind. It’s scary. It’s exciting. And it’s soon!
This blog will be where I share my uncomfortable experiences, my greatest laughs and my biggest learning curves as I move (temporarily) to another country. It will showcase my travels, my classes, and life with DIS in a true and honest way. I hope you’ll stick around and share with me in what it looks like to be Young in Europe.
Young in Europe 